The Sun. — London, England, 1809-09-07 00:00:00

FROM THE FREACH PAPERS. MADRID, AuGus? Ir. LETTER WRITTEN ON THE 10TH AT TOLEDO, AND SENT 'Di MADRID. " MY DEAR FRIEND, " Do not fail to forward intelligence, as I profit by the free communication between this city and ;he capital, which-is preserve•: by the 4;b corps and the reserve. Our apprehensions must have been reci procal during the eight or ten dlys, while three bustile armies had surrounded us by their ma lICCIIV res. _ " Ms solicitude at this critical moment did not present a man who recollects his firs , profession of a -soldier, from 'following atien ively, and with in- serest, the movements ot 40,000 Frenchmen, who were threatened by two ot -these armies, which atn-untell to 120,000 ; while, at the centre of these operations, I have still. to explain how it has happened that the Fiench succeeded at the same tithe in covering Madrid, in preventing the union of the I o com;y4ied armies, anti in detaining at Tala vera that of the Anglo•iiisurgen:s the arrival at Placentia of the Duke of Dainilit a. " You, as a military man, will take an interest in the details I am about to communicate, though you wili see fresh reason to deplore the fate of our un happy country, which is desola , ed by a handful of ambitious men, who can have no hope to see their party triumph. " On the 21st of July the English arty of 35,000 men, including 5000 Portuguese, effeCted junclion with 40,000 insurgents under Cuesta. On the •ame day these combined forces came in front'of the Duke of Belluno, posted . on the banks of the Aiberche, 'whose advanced guard defended Ta lavvra. " It appears that.their plan of campaign was to drive the-first corps far from its positii , ns, in order to unite • - ,t Toledo with the army of la Mancha, un der the command of Venegas, and then to advance, tq the number 01 120,000 men, upon the capital; thus obliging the Vrench army, which covered and &tenth-0 the shores of the Tagus, to retreat be y-nd the mountains of the Guanarama, that they might not commit themselves against so imposing a force:- • - " In this situati,m, all the French could - do was to coiled their troops in the environs of Toledo, to avoid any engagement ottheir corps apart, and when once united to offer battle to one of the combined armies before they could unite. General Sehastiani occupied with the fourth corps the borders of the Guadiana, observing VenegaS, at three days'. march from Toledo; the Puke of Belluno maintained, with the first corps, ,a position on the Alberche, at three days' march 'both from Madrid and Toledo.— There was no time to be loSt, - and the movements of these two corps were to be combined with as much rapidity as precision. - " In spite of tl , e'irmilense superiority of the ene:. my, the Duke of Beliuno maintained his position on the 22d and 23d. On the 24th, by a retrograde movement, he proceeded to Torrijos ; an 4 on the , 25111, to the left bank of. the Gwdarattia, t leagues prom Toledo. The order was given to General , Se b?.stiani to fall back by forced marches on that city, where he arrived on the 25th, having skiltuliy masqued his movement, Oat he might not be pur sued by the enemy. The King quitted Madrid On the.23d, with the body of reserve, and advanced to Naval-Carnero, in order to hold in check 8000 men, as well English as Portuguese, who threatened by way of Escalcna to take in the rear the first corps, in its ptsitiOn of Alberche. The reserve also, atter a march of more than .tWelve leagues, established itself at Vargas, two leagues from Toledo. Thus the whole army was united on the 25th, without the necessity of firing a single ninsquet. • • ". Before his departure front Madrid, the King had suit orders to the Duke of Dalmatia to unite at Salamanca the three corps wider his command, and to maren to Piasencia; in order to cut off the retreat. of the English into Portugal. His Nlajelity had, in like manner, the intention to throw 3000 men into Toledo, in order to secure the bridges of that city over the Tagus, and oolige Venegas, in case he should purpose crossing the Siver, to march by •its side as tar as A!ariju...?. - , ; a hid) would retard for t hire days the movements of that General. _ These al rangements being made, the King, at the head of the army, which had collected on the rh near Toledo,•marched against the Anglo-insur gt.nts. His advanced guard met that of Cuesta in the environs of Escalona, which was so rapidly at, tacked and routed, that that General, being discon ce' red, was not able to collect his forces, and re crossed the Al'tJetcne in the greatest disorder. The ing took his positio;t• at bant,i. Oialla. On the '27th he renewed his march. At Cassaligus the ad vanced guard of the enemy tn as in like manlier driven beyond Alberche. The King pi rs,wu it, fording that river at the head of his art, y—a meat which was executed in perteCt order, andin the Most hi illiant " At the right of this ford, hills, covered with trees extend to the otountains of Escaloritt, oii this side are or the right bank of the Tagus. Tire Engitsb b plactA there a grea; pto of ti,eir force. endeav .ur:u to ueiend theinselves oy a brisk and well supported firt! : but the dit ision,ot Getieral Lapisst: - attacked them wi b such vigour and itupe-' tuosity, that they yielded that p os iti on at once, and left on this attach, Minh was wade with the bay onet, 1200 dead on the fluid of battle. It waB tour iff the ~,ruing when the Duke de Betluno obtained this irni,ort,int advantage. He neve r th e l e ss pur sue d the enemy i on. position to position, thl, night ar risi,,,z, he sA as forced to hall ne.ir to Talavera. 4Y At day-break, the v% hole hostile army appeared in order of hat t)e ; us rigt,t supported by the Tagus, and co%ered by heavy artillery in the town of Tata very ; its left stretching to the mountain, and de pl, yed upon an eminence, the position of which was Vt:l . advantageous, a deep rat toe separating it Iron) . the re.t oi. tins chain or. mountains, to which it was joine&only by the base; his rear was proieCted by olive-gardens and tineyards so that to attack it, the French airny had t•, cross a front lull of obstacles and . itiequalitiei. The enemy had not Jess than soiooo men fo rned in Several lines, while; the French had scarcely 40,090 combatants. . " The ,[ding, in spit : oft his dispropOrtion Cl : force, and the 'advantage of the Engl'!sli poSilion, resolved to atta'eit them. • We hadj9st beeti into:pied that Venegas had re-established the bridges of Atanjuez that some of his foraging parties wire viith:n roux leagues of Mddrid and that his artillery was already playing upon Toledo. The King was resolved to save his capital. The batik was bloody. The ene- my detended his osition with the greatest obstinacy, but he sustained so con,iderahle a loss, that during the nigh: he resolved to abandon Talavera, and to prepare for his retreat. " The King den` on'the field of battle; - To re new the attack on the following day, and to pursue the combined army, would be &kering up the ca vital to Venegas, and - rendering us-less the nioVei-- ment already begun by the Duke of " Convinced that the losses sustained by the ene. my would redoct him for several days to a state of inaction, his Majesty thought it right to advance to snticour Madrid, even should the English flatter themselves that they could maintain the position of Talavera. In consequ“tce, the Duke of Belluno W3EI to fall back upon the Aiberche, W bile with theAith corps of ieserve, the King marched towards Toledo, thecommunicat ions of which he re-established, anti where lie left only a g2rrison of 1200 men. -After having manceuvred to disquiet Venegas, and oblige -him to withdraw the troops he had on the right bank of the Tagos,his Majesty entered Toledo yes ierday, drove the assailants from their position, and causing the 4th corps to pass the bridge, stationed it on the left bank of the river. " Then we were informed of union of the Dukes of Dalmatia and Belluno, and learnt that the enemy, taken by surprise, and unable to reach the bridge of Almarez, had no other retreat than that of Arzobispo ; .and that clo , .ely pursued as he was on a road hardly passable, which he was obliged to take, would be obliged to lose the greater patt of his artillery and equipage. We learn that such has been the precipitancy of his retreat, that • he was obliged to abandon; as well at Talavera as at Argesa, from 5 to 6000 wounded. " What will most surprise you, Sir, is, that yes terday at night Veneas had not heard of the retreat of the English and Cuesta beyond the Tagus. As we do not perceive that there were any great cir cuits to be made in order to inform him of this, it is a proof either that the enemy had no conceited plan of operations, or, at leastohat he was Si) con founded by his defeat, as not to think of informing Venegas of it in time. You. ,e, Sir, what has been effe6.led by nu" melons armies,. at least two-thirds stronger than that of the Fr.,-nch uppo.ed to them : not one of their detachments ha+ been able to show themselves before the. gates of Madt id. They were only a few hams eli the hoe which stretches from Aiberche to the ci;pital, and their campaign has ended by abati l • cloning about 6000 wonnded,_ and - probably with the loss of the greater part of their artillery and qui- , page; not to mention the •priimiers, which of ne cessity will be taken by us in the pursuit." [FROM THE ARGUS OF THE 1 2 6TH AUGUST.] ANTIV'EItr, AUG. CO.—On the iGth inst. the' ti.)l - general Order was published here : ARMY OF THE NokTu, GENERAL ORDER. Notice is given to the Army, that in virtue of the Orders of his Majesty the Emperor and King, his Highness the Marshal Prince of PoriTE C o nv o , is arrived at Antwerp, in order to take the command Of the land and sea forces which are assetAled in the Scheldt, -and in its environs. " The 24th military division, and that pat t of the '2sth which is on the left bank of thL; Meuse, are united ,ender this command. The Marshal esteems himself happy in being able to share %.,:ith the National Guards of the Empire, the Regulars, and Imperial Navy, the honour of fighting against the enemies of the Continent. His Highness is persuaded that all will vie with each other in Zeal for the defence of the State, and in devotedness for the service ot his Majesty the EmpOur and King." Atj G. 2 . —Since yesterday no change has talien place either in the English line or outs; they are still within two cannon-shots of one another. We are continuing our preparations with the greatvst vi gour. A numerous cordon of troops is going to be established round Antwerp. Orders are already issued to make free all the roads which are shut by bars, in order that neither horses nor carriages may meet with hany interruption, either by night or by day. The necessary Prepara tions have been made for suddenly inundating all tilt.. low grounds, in case of the enemy's presuping JO approach. Even already the tneadJ‘vs,bot h tot he right and left of the rOad.Of Ghent, beyond the head of Flan ders, are covered, and the sluices are still raised, in order to alive:lt the waters in case of necessit'y. In this manner 2).ntwerp will be covered on the left. Great movetnents of troops are taking place in, the city. We have, either within our walls or in the envi rons, fifteen Generals, and every day fresh troops and more superior otncers are arri% nig. A battery is pow establihing at Fort Frederick, upon the 1-tt bank. This morning the English fired a few cannon shots, in order to endeavour to obstruct the works, hut they will not succeed. The inhabitantS of the countr► have furnished, with the greatest zeal. whatever is necessary for an army which has been formed with sri much precipitation. Every thing is in movement in our, city the workmen are em ployed both night and day—the blaclorniths are making t ool4—t he coach-makers and waggon-makers are employed in the service , „of the equipays tor the artillery, and the diggers are c , vcring the, redoubts which are raisiro on the right and left banks of the Scheldt. To CURRESPONDENTS. o * * We have received several Letters, inquiring whether a Jubilee, with the usual forms and ileremonies, is to take place throughout Great Britain on His Maiasra's en. trance into the soth year of his reign. We conceive that such a celebration would more properly take place when HIS MAJarry has completed the stti year of his reign ;. an event which every man who reveres a good king must be anxious to witness. MAILS. ARRIVID—I Dublin. Dua—t Cottenburgh, z Lisbon, • I Dublin, 4 Waterford. PRler 01. STOCKS ?Ms DAY Al TW,LVE n'cLOCK. Consols . 68 *ll Omnim - pr. T SUN. SO IM Q 4116 DICERX FAIISIJM AUDX&T? L 0 X I) 0 . 4 V, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 181/4'4. We understand that advices have been received from Lord WELLINGTON, dated Trnxillo, on the 21st inst. Our Army h . O been extrecnely distressed for want of provisions, and his Lordship was there- fore obliged to fall back, and was on the road to El w s There had been no appearance of the Enemy, who, it seems, had not passed the Tagus, except with a body ot cavalry,near Arzobispo, which took the cannon of Co ESTA'S rear-guard. _ . . The Enemy's Army had separater SOVI.; ; S was at Placentia ; NEY was gone back to Sala- manca ; MORTIEg, VICTOR, and SEZASTIANI, in Estramadura and La Mancha. Sir ROBERT WILSON had engaged, with his small corps, NEY's army on its return from Salamanca, near Banos. After nine hours gallant contest,- he was obliged to retire through the inountains—his corps behaved with great gallantry. General CUESTA resigned the command on the 12th,._ and was suc ceeded by General Eautnt. It is said that the Duke of BRUNSWICK this d'dy received an account that the Prussian Army is en camped, but for what purpose, we know n pt. We have extra ed from the Journal de t'Empire n narrative of the late operations of the French Army in Spain, %.% hich admits, in effect, that they ware defeated at Talavera, and could h ave left no doubt aq to that point, even if it had been_ received pre vions to the arrival of Lord WELLING 'ON's patches. This mr)rning we received Portnzuese Papers to the 22d ult. An article from Lisbon, of the Ist, quoting a Coyunna letter of the 6th, states, that the army of the 143rquis DR LA Rom A; amounting to thirty thousand men, began its march from Cornona,• for Lugo:, , on the Ist, Ad, and 3cl ult. Later account mention.the.advance of the ILl.trquis to Leon. The contents of the Gazeith being of much more importance, in nor opinion, than the ravings of party-spleen, we (lid not think it necessary yester ;day tq notice an outrageous attack upon this Paper that appeared in the chief Opposition Print, in con sequence of what we said on Tuesday in ailosion to the late Sir :foto; Moons. The Opposition Writer has shewn all the eloquence of St.,Giles's in his ob servations upon the passage alluded to, and - we con ceive that it is an as of some condescension in, us to notice such vulgar virulence at all. All we said in relation to Sir JOHN Moons was, that though Lord WELLINo - roN's eminent services in, Spain are denied, and all his aclions discoloured by fatlion,' particularly in reference to his glorious vielory at Talavera ; yet, " that Sir JOHN Moons, under circUm-tances not quite those of a skilful and fortunate retreat, accomplished after a glorious and almost unparalleled vi&ory ; or the prudent aban donment of one obje&, which had become im praaicable, after a brilliant and perlea success in two others of far great importance," could find " strenuous advocates." Is there any thing in this, allusion that can justify all the tropes and figures of Billingsgate or Dyot-street ? yet it is called " a foul and cowardly aspersion," and the' person who, wrote it is denominated a " skulking assassin,' an infamous and wicked calumniator," " malig nant 4,41raa0r," &c. &c. a6tUated by " envenomed hatred." The party writer. also hints at an invita Lion to the field of honour, which he intimates had been given at a former period, all of which must be the creation of a disturbed imagination, for we at least are wholly unable togpess his meaning. We have only to say, that all the abusive appellation s and outrageous vulgarity which he has heaped upon us, are really applicable to those who are in the con statit habit of attacking Lor,d WELLING . TON ? , one of the proudest boasts of our C( , untry ; but we must do the Writer the justice to believe, that with all his pretended. veneration for the, memory of Sir. JpIIN Moore, if that departed hero were now alive, at tached to the principles, and strenuous for the intc. , rests of the present Administration, he would be likely to be the,obje& of as much bitter personality and paltry detraelion as are now every day cast upon the character and conduct of Lord WELLINGTON. Administration are accused of attempting " to shift the blame" of the diversion attempted in Naples from themselves to Sir Jolts SruArtT ; but the Writers who bring the charge do not tell us what blame there was to shift. Who will say that it was not politic, in the state of affairs between Austria and France, to attempt this diversion in favour of the former; and who Will deny that it has been very successful, to a certain extent, though - in the un fortunate state of Auitria at the time, it was not pro duBive of all the advantages it• was calculated to effect But the grievance, it seems, is that Sir JoHR was r!strialy tied down" by his instrudions; yet, after the Opposition Writers as maple this broad assertion s he immediately attempts a qualification, by saying, "we do not mean to assert that be was pdsitively instruaed respeling the particular point where a demonstration ought to be made," but he was come mantled "to take care for the-proteetion and aelence of the Island . of Sicily I." Granting that these were the orders of Sir JOHN, of which, however, the Opposition Writer certainly knows nothing, is these. any blanw imputable to Ministerslor being anxious to preserve to the legitimate Kiug of Niples the only part of his territories remaining in his possession.? - or was there any_ blame in leaving" . the demoristra-' . . tion in quesOon wholly to the discretion of Sir .foHN, requiring him, however, to be careful of Sicily ? No, the blame is wholly imputable to factious writers, who are resolved to abuse Ministers, however they may expose their own ignorance and malignity. We are able to state, positively, that Sir Pi IrID Dr NDAS derives no emolument whatever frgm the' appoiniment.of Colonel in Chief of the 95th, or 'U.!, ft, Regiment. The Colonel Commandant of each Battalion, stands upon the same footing as tne Co lonel of any other regiment in the line. From tlito peculiar nature of this Valuable corps, and in order to ensure perfea uniformity in its discipline, it was thought more expedient to keep it as o ne regiment of three battation4, than to constitute three se parate regiments of one battalion each. What has been said about the patronage, and the monopoly of honourable appointments,' appears to be founded on the erroneons jdea that the whole patronage of a regiment .is in its Colonel. We conceive that the Colonel in Chief would, in most cases, be consulted upon occasion of exchange, kc. and it is extre7, desirable that he should he We take this opportunity of alluding to the case of Lieutenant B,tiowNßlGo, which, upon what ground we confess we do nut quite understand* has been made a subietl pi annnaeversion. When we consider, however, that the writet•s upon this OW have invariably Confounded the Garrison Battalions, (formerly the Battalions of Reserve) with the 1, 7 1 e-. ran BattaliOns, which, before they reteived their present more dppronriate ann Significant appellatio.4 were styled Garrison .Ba+talions,, we suspe6l that the same 4o.rt of confusion and error pervades the whole statement. Yesterday noon his MAJESTY arrived from Wind sor, at the cluEEN's Palace, and was - shortly after wards attended by their Ryal Higitnes4e , the Dukes of YORK, KENT, CAN",,BRIDGE: and CUMBERLAND.' . . Soon alter two o'clock- iti MAjESTY held a private f Levee, which was attended by The Archbishop of Canterbury, and his brother the. Lor4 Chancellor Of I reland, the Duke of Portland; Earl, the Earl or Westniorland, the 11 ail- of Li'verjn'tol, Earl k'd'" thurst, Earl I larrovvhy, ViSconni Castlereagn,. Lord Mul .grave, Lord Bolton (in ‘vaiting), Sir Stephen Lotterell, Sir David - I)undas, Sir Sidney Smith, General Finch (G rootri to Air. .Pl.fteval, lyir. Canning, and Mr. Ryder. ' • r r:le lonoing had the honour of being presented to hk 'MAJESTY Lord IV:inners.* Kcal* Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, on his return from thq clues naval cummand in the Braeds. _ Lieutenailt-Gcrieral Iseaoti, on his appointment to the command of the loth Royal Veteran Battalion. Sir David ; undas, on his promotion to toe Coloncicy of the 25t0 Of4OOllS. Sir Rupert George, on being created a Baruhet. •- His MAJEtiTY afterwards held a Privy Council, and gave audi(ince to the Duke Of PORTLAND, and the rest of the Cabinet Ministers; when Mr . itypEß, the Judge-Advocate, laid before his AAA JESTY t. ll proceedings of several Courts-Martial. • About halt past five his MAJESTY Jett town fOr Windsor. Letters frotn Seville of the 17th ult. state the ar rival there of the Marquis WELLESLU, in railer Iry ditnreu►t health, but who was fast recoveri• b. A General Court Martial has been held at Hull , on Lieutenant P. D. Wheeler of the second battalion ot the 15th regiment of Foot, upon the undernieir tioned charges, viz. ISt, For bell:lying in a scandalous and infamous manner,tirfr becoming the Chat atter or au Officer and a Gentleman in liar; ing most grossly insulted Major King, of the bed regiment t y, Il Foot, at Scarborough, by teilinlin that he had a ssert must daunucu ;ntainous lies ; at the same time saying to hirnt 1 shake my stick over you," or words to that died. '4 , 3- 2d, For having, in a public cofiee-room at the York vern, in York, pusted or caused to he posted, a paper, con" taining words to the following effect : " 1 hereby post ,Major King, olthe.Szti regiment of Foot, as a base calumniator, 4 liar, and a coward, as 1 personally told him. (Signed) P. 1,. W HEELER." 3d, For having sent a copy of the above to Major KinO t Scarborough, adding tliat the said letter had been posted the coffee-room at ; such conductbeing su bver„ sive in military discipline, •and •01 ot the Article sOl War. Upon which charges the Court came to the.O., lowing decision That the Prisoner, Lieutenant P. D. Whee i A r, was not guilty of the first part of the first charge) hut was guilty . of • grossly insulting Major Kipg7.le The Court acuits the Pt ironer. of that par t ot said charge, 'llshake my stick over you," the not having been proved. With respeo to :he s - q-*°.. -and third, charges the Court found the Ptisone of the whble, and every -part thereof, and 04.06,1 him to be dismissed his Majesty's st rvicek